fitzgerald



(No Model.) Z'Sheets-Sheet 1.

PJJ. FITZGERALD.

Hydrocarbon Gas Apparatus.

No. 241,950. Patented May 24.1881.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. J. FITZGERALD. Hydrocarbon Gas Apparatus.

No. 241,950. Patented May 24,1881;

JEN/6792b)."

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N. PUERS. MW. WW!

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE.

PETER J. FITZGERALD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES F. ROBERTSON, OF SAME PLACE.

HYDROCARBON-GAS APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,950, dated May 24, 1881.

- Application filed March 11, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PETER J. FITZGERALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hydrocarbon-Gas Apparatus,;of which the'following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates mainly to an improvemerit on the hydrocarbon-gas generator shown and described in my Letters PatentNo. 238,668,

granted March 8, 1881, the object .of my present improvement being to secure astron ger and more uniformly-distributed heat for the fixingcoil, to automatically force from the hydrocarbon-holder and to the fixing-coil the entire quantity of hydrocarbon placed into said holder for-conversiomand to combine with the gas after it is fixed a proper quantity of air to form an "illuminating-gas and force the compound in'tothe gas-holder under powerful pressure, which immediately becomes diffused above its A entrance, in order to avoid liability of back flow.

In the aecompanyin g drawings, Figure 1 is a but showin g the hydrocarbon-reservoir and gasholder in section.

of the arrangement of pipes between the hydrocarbon-reservoir and the gas-holder.

Fig.

* 3 is'a'de'tached view of the flat coil or continucarbon-reservoir, and B the gas-holder.

ously op'erating retort.

In Fig. 1 the letter A designates the hydropipe, Q, extends from the inside of the hydrocarbon-reservoir, quite nearits bottom, upward through and above its top to a suitable height, as hereinafter explained. At its top the pipe 0 isfitted with a T-joint, 0, provided with a needle-pointvalve, as in my Letters Patent above referred to. 9

From this T-joint leads a pipe, D, which at. a convenient distance beyond the reservoir is bent downward and coiled into a flat horizontal coil, E, the outer terminal of which'fjoinstoa straight portion, D, of the V pipe,"whichleadsto an elbow, h, from which another pipe, H, leads downward through the top of the gas-holderB, terminatin g inside and near thebottomof said gas-holder, for a parpose which will be presently explained. The

' convolutions-of the coil are slightly separated, in order to permit circulation of heat all around the-pipe.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section Theletter F designates a branch pipe leading downward from the pipe D and back to a point under the center of the flat coil E, where it is provided with a T-joint, f, the upward-projecting portion of which has a burner, is, attached to it, while the lower portion is provided with a needle-point valve, L, which has its seat in a partition below the burner and above the opening of the pipe F. The said lower portion of the T-joint is externally cone-shaped and screwthreaded to receive thecorrespondin gly-threaded hub m of a rigid circular iron disk, M. The

main purpose of this disk is to hold a small heat the coil at the beginning of the operation of the apparatus until the burner becomes supplied with gas; but it has the further oflice to compress the cone-shaped sleeve which it surrounds upon thestem of the needle-point valve should it be found to leak under the high pressure to which it is subjected from the gas.

Immediately over and upon the flat coil E is arranged a disk, I, equal or slightly greater in diameter than the coil, andpreferably provided with a central boss, 2', which fits into the central aperture of the coil and prevents the disk from slipping out of place. Said disk is also slotted radially to fit the vertical pipe from which the coil starts. Ihe oflice of the disk I is that of a deflector, to throw back the flame from the burner and cause it to spread under the coil, thus utilizing the heat of the burnerflame to greater extent than would be done if it simply passed up through the openings of the coil. Without the disk, however, a fair distribution of heat upon the coil is obtained, whereas in my patent before referred to the lower convolutions or turns of the conoidal coil become very hot, while the upper turns are not sufficiently heated to have any efi'ect in fixing the gas. I have found it a disadvantage of the conoidal coil that a large quantity of gas must be used to heat it sutiiciently for efficient action.

The elbow h, which connects the pipe 1) with the pipe H, is provided with a needlepoint valve, d, seated in a seat, h, as shown in my before-mentioned patent, the pipe H having lateral air-supply pipes t immediately below ranged a downwardly-tapering injector-cone, O, the apertui cin the apex of \vhichis directly under the seat or aperture of the needlepoint valve (1. and coincident with the center of the pipe H, which, as before stated, terminates within and near the bottom of the gas-holder B. By contracting the current of illuminating-gas as it passes through the injector-cone it is given a high tension under the pressure to which itis subjected, and iscaused to enter the gas-holder with a force sufficient to preclude any liability of back-flow under any pressure likely to be reached in said gas-holder. 13y contracting the gas-passage below the air-sup ply pipes t, I also regulate the quantity of air which becomes mixed with the gas, the discharge aperture of the injector-conebeingproportioned to the aperture or seat of the needlepoint valve, so that whilea full supplyof air is alwaysfurnished by said pipes 1, ready for combination with the gas, only so much is mixed therewith as can bcdrawn through the injector in addition to the volume of gas. As thepipe Hterminates near the bottom ofthe gasholder it is there the tension of inflowing stream is diffused and the gas rises away from the mouth of the pipe, exerting its greatest pressure upward. The mouth ofthe tube being thus away from and arranged in opposite directions to the greatest pressure of the gas in the holder, an additional guard is provided against backflow from said holder or any serious retardation to the inflow of the gas.

The tube (3 extends to near the bottom of the hydrocarbon-reservoir for a different purpose, which is that the mouth or inlet of said tube may be always kept below the level of the hydrocarbon in said reservoir, and thus, practically,the entire charge of said hydrocarbon will be forced from the reservoir, the apparatus keeping in full operation, no matter how small the supply, so long as it reaches the mouth of the tube.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The reservoir A being supplied to about twothirds or three-fourths its capacity with a light hydrocarbon, such as gasoline or naphtha, and air forced in above it through the pipe 1 by a suitable air-forcing apparatus, the valve in pipe P being then closed, the pressure of the air forces the hydrocarbon upward in the pipe (3, from which it flows in a fine stream through the passage of the properly-adjusted needlepoint valved into pipe D, and on through the flat coil E, which is at first heated by the flame of a small portion of hydrocarbon which should be ignited in the dish M. The hydrocarbon reaching the coil E in a vaporous condition is by the high and uniform heat to which it is there subjected converted into a fixed, highlyinflammable gas, a very small portion of which, passing from the branch pipe through the passage of the needle-point valve L, supplies the burner below the coil in the further heating of said coil while the apparatus remains in operation. The main volume of the gas from the coil, however, as it passes under high pressure from the coil, flows through pipe D, the passage of the needle-point valve d, and the injector-cone, when itbecoines mixed with a properlyregulated quantity of air, and on down through pipe H, from which it is discharged near the bottom of the gas-holdcrB, as clearly explained. A single turn or rotation of the needle-point valves is usually sufficient to open the said valves sufticiently for the operation ofthe apparatus, the threads otthc valve-stems being very slightly pitched.

The gas-holder may be provided with suitable service-pipe connections, preferably at its top.

The letter q indicates a drip-tap for draining branch pipe F in case any condensation should take place therein.

The gas-holder is provided with a cock, Z, close to its bottom, for drawing olf any liquid which might condense in said holder and seal the pipe H.

From the foregoing explanation it will be seen that the flatcoil E is in fact,acontinuouslyoperating retort, converting into a fixed and stable gas the hydrocarbon vapors which pass through it.

From the top of the hydrocarbon-rescrvoir leads a pipe, Q, which rises a short distance vertically, and is then inclined and leads to a service-pipe, U, which extends from the top of the gas-holder. The pipe Q is supplied with a cut-off cock, to, and immediately below said cock is an enlarged collar, to, into the lower portion of which sets a screw-nipple, g which projects from the top of the reservoir. Upon the fiat top of this nipple lies loosely a thin metal disk, 9.", of somewhat smaller diameter than the chamber .9 within the collar 10, and therefore readily movable vertically. Said disk has also a small perforation in its center. The air within the holder becomes carbureted and combustible while the apparatus is in operation, and the purpose of leading the pipe Q from the reservoir to the service-pipe is to enable the burning of this carbureted air for the purpose of maintaining a light late at night, after the main operation of the apparatus has ceased, and when no great degree of illumination is desired. \Vhen the cock to is opened the carbureted air, which is under considerable pressure, lifts the disk ac and passes around its edge through the chamber and pipe Q. The valve-disk is of such weight that it simply rises to let the gas pass under a proper pressure; but when the pressure becomes too great said disk is forced up against the top of the chain her and closes the entrance to the pipe. While in this position, the flow being principally checked, a suffieient quantity of the carbureted air passes through the central opening of the disk to maintain a light at the burners.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with a closed hydrocarbon-reservoir provided with an air-supply pipe and a fixing-retort composed of a flat horizontal coil arranged for continuous operation, of the pipe leading from within and near the hot IIO tom of said reservoir to and connecting with said flat retort, substantially as described.

2. In a hydrocarbon-gas generator, the combination, with the pipe connectin g a hydrocarbon-reservoir With a fixed gas-holder, of a fixin g-retort composed of a flat horizontal coil intermediately connected with said connectingpipe, and arranged for the vapors to pass through it, and suitable means for heating said coil, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a hydrocarbon-gas generator, of the hydrocarbon-reservoir with the fixed gas-holder, connecting-pipe between said generator and holder, the fixing-retort composed of a flat horizontal coil intermediately connected with said connecting-pipe and located beneath a deflecting-disk, and the burner also connected with the said connectingpipe and located beneath the coil of the fixingretort, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the continuouslyoperating retort composed of a fiat horizontal coil, of the gas-holder B, the pipe H, connected with said retort, terminating within and near the bottom of the holder, and provided with the needle-point valve, the air-passages h t, and the injector-cone 0, arranged within said pipe below said air-passages, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the hydrocarbonreservoir A and the gas-holder B, of the pipe Q, leading from the said hydrocarbon-reservoir, and the pipe U, connecting with said pipe and with the said gas-holder, the automatic supply-regulating valve consisting of the centrally-pertorated disk arranged within a chamber formed intermediately of the pipe Q and the hydrocarbon-reservoir, the hydrocarbonreservoir and the gas-holder being connected by devices for conveying and fixing the gas, and stop-cocks being provided to-admit of the two mediums of communication between said reservoir and holder being used at the periods as herein described, and for the purpose spec i-E In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witmesses.

PETER J. FITZGERALD. Witnesses:

JAMES L. NORRIS, JAMES A. RUTHERFORD. 

